


Can You Hear Me?

by Alexmonroe



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic, the foxhole court
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2018-12-30 16:20:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12112533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexmonroe/pseuds/Alexmonroe
Summary: Andrew gets injured during a game and ends up deaf. If the others didn't know how to act around him before, they're even more confused nowBasically Neil and Andrew get to talk shit about every one and Andrew is secretly soft





	1. Chapter 1

Neil felt Matt's hand on his shoulder and knew he was saying something, but Neil could hear nothing over the white noise that seemed to take up all of the space in his head as he watched striker number #14 smash Andrew into the wall. Neil tensed as the striker moved away. Exy was a violent sport by nature and Andrew had always been able to take a hit, but something about this didn’t feel right to Neil. He waited for Andrew to stand. He waited for Andrew to growl and go after the striker. He waited for Andrew to reach past his glove and into his arm bands. Neil did not wait to see Andrew crumple and slide down the wall of the goal, red lights framing his small body and illuminating his hair. 

Matt tried to tighten his grip on Neil’s shoulder, but Neil was the fastest striker in the league and nothing was going to stop him when Andrew was hurt. #14 wasn't expecting the punch to his kidneys so he was slow to react, which gave Neil time to spin him around and shove the heel of his palm upwards into the striker’s nose. Neil had time to feel the crunch of the bone before Matt pulled him off and the ref waved a red card in his face. 

Neil ignored both men and the loud sound of the Foxes and Longhorns chatter, sinking to the floor by Andrew's side, hand hovering around Andrew's head but not touching. Neil could feel his body going into fight mode as paramedics tried to crowd Andrew, touching his arms and legs and neck. He was having trouble breathing and when he touched a shaking hand to his neck his pulse was going too fast to track. He knew he would be sore in a few hours if he didn’t relax his muscles but his worry for the unresponsive blond pushed all other thoughts from his mind. One woman reached for Andrew's armbands and Neil could see that her intention was to take them off. Neil growled and grabbed her wrist in a tight grip, glaring at her in warning. 

"Don't touch his armbands. Don't touch him, period. If he wakes up and you're touching him, he will kill you."

The paramedic opened her mouth, probably to tell Neil to move away from the patient, but Wymack griped her shoulder gently, leaning down to whisper in her ear. Neil couldn't hear all of it but the paramedic just sighed and let him stay by Andrew's side. Neil wanted to be comforted by the fact that Wymack was helping him be able to stay by Andrew, but he couldn't stop the ice cold fingers of fear from wrapping around his throat because that many hands on Andrew should've woken him up. Just hearing Neil's voice should've woken him up. But his eyes remained stubbornly closed, refusing even to twitch. 

 

"Sir? We're going to put him in the ambulance now. You can ride with him if you can stay out of the way."

Neil flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder. Old instincts kicked in and he gripped the wrist, nails digging into flesh before he could force down his panic and let go with a nod. He stood silently, watching the paramedics lift Andrew onto the gurney and roll him towards the ambulance. Neil followed slowly, clenching his fist to hold back his rising panic. The urge to run as far as he could from the source of his pain was heavily outweighed by the need to stay by Andrew's side and make sure he was okay. Neil shrugged off most of his bright gear, leaving it on the court without a second thought, until he was left in shorts and a black under armour shirt. He climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat next to one of the men, gripping the sheets of the gurney as close to Andrew's hand as he dared. He ignored the weight of the man’s stare on the back of his neck. 

The ride to the hospital was spent in silence, though a few of the paramedics tried to strike up a conversation with Neil, asking him about Andrew and their relationship and anything they thought would help the doctor's; past injuries, medication, allergies. Neil gave them the barest of answers; just 'yes' or 'no' until they stopped asking questions. He never took his gaze off of Andrew's face. He didn't even notice that they had stopped until the doors were opened and light flooded in, overloading his pupils and forcing him to blink rapidly and duck his head. 

He hastily climbed out, his hand never leaving the sheet of the gurney. Neil slotted himself between two of the paramedics rolling Andrew, they glared but he could keep pace so they didn't complain. Neil could only follow them to the ICU and settle himself into a chair when they got Andrew a room. The other Foxes arrived in a pack, having tailed the ambulance for most of the journey, but the doctors kicked them out of Andrew's room. Neil drew back on every detail of information his mother had drilled into his head about blending in and being invisible and staying out of the way so that he could sit in the chair by the window and keep his eyes on Andrew. He was glad that he had forced most of his uniform off before crawling into the ambulance so that he wasn't trying to disappear in bright orange. To be honest, Neil wasn't sure how the doctors had managed to miss him. Perhaps they were too busy with Andrew to notice? Or Wymack had spoken to them, too? It didn't really matter. All that mattered was that he could see Andrew and he could see that he was waking up. 

Neil bolted out of his seat and shoved the doctors and nurses away from the bed. All at once they started to yell at him, some grabbing his arms to pull him out of the room but Neil struck out, hitting the people closest to them with enough force to send them reeling away. He could feel Nathaniel creeping up the back of his throat, threatening to slip over his face and take control. Neil hesitated a moment before letting it happen. He felt that sharp smile slip over his lips as he stood between Andrew and the medical staff. His stance was stiff and his hands were in ready fists. 

"Do not touch him. Do you understand me? Do not touch him without his permission. Without his explicit consent. Verbal consent. Are you listening? You'd better be, I'm saving your life." Nathaniel could still feel the smile in place, only growing in size and sharpness. It pulled at the scars on his cheeks and he relished the flinches that came in response. 

"Sir? I'm going to need you to step away from Mr. Minyard. We need to examine him." 

Nathaniel bared his teeth in a growl and crouched, prepared for a fight, but he froze when he felt cold fingers circle his wrist. Neil spun around and pushed himself as close to the hospital bed as he could, staring down at Andrew with wide eyes. He hovered his hand by Andrew's head in a silent question and smiled when Andrew nodded. 

"You scared the shit out of me Andrew. You didn't even twitch when the paramedics touched you. I thought you were dead." Neil had expected Andrew to roll his eyes and give a sarcastic response, but all Andrew did was furrow his eyebrows and point to his ears. Neil frowned. "Can you hear me? Andrew? Are you alright?" 

Andrew just shook his head, still pointing to his ear. Neil turned a glare on one of the doctors who put his hands up in the signal for surrender and backed into a wall. 

"We haven't done anything to him yet. We've only prepped him for examination. It makes sense to have some hearing loss after some head trauma. If you'd let us look we could tell you what's wrong with him?"

Neil glared a little longer before turning back to Andrew and pointing at the doctors. Andrew raised an eyebrow in question. Neil pointed to the doctors again and pressed the hand in Andrew's hair into his scalp. He pointed at the doctors then gently slid his finger along the shell of Andrew's ear. Andrew tried to hide his shiver with a glare as he shoved Neil away, but he nodded in response to Neil's silent question. Neil stepped away from the bed and nodded to the medical staff. 

"You can help him now. Don't touch more than you have to and do not touch his armbands unless you want to lose a few fingers. Understand?"

They all nodded so Neil sank into his chair and maintained eye contact with Andrew for the entire time, trying to be as steady as the smaller man always was for him. He pushed the worry out of his face, knowing Andrew would be able to see it lurking, and focused only on one thought. 

Andrew was going to be fine.

Andrew's eyes were locked on Neil's so Neil could see the internal struggle he was having. Every touch made him freeze up and tense and he could see that Andrew’s breathing was short and rapid. Andrew was growling out gruff warnings a bit louder than he usually would when any of them got too close to his armbands. Neil did his best to prepare Andrew, pointing on his own body where the doctors were going to touch next, and snarling out his own warnings at them when they were going into a no-fly zone.

Neil was already pretty fluent in sign language from his childhood, when his mother shot a gun next to his ear and his head had rang for almost a week before he could hear his mother’s voice again. Neil had started sharing some of that sign language with Andrew on his mother's birthday and had continued whenever Andrew had asked until they were both fast, fluent and efficient in the language. So when the doctors turned to Neil and said that Andrew had suffered some hearing loss and that they could do reconstructive surgery on his ear drums or give him hearing aids and hope they worked, Neil almost started praying that Andrew remembered their lessons and that the head injury hasn't addled his memory. 

Neil chewed on his bottom lip, suddenly wishing that Renee was in the room with them so that someone could take this problem to a higher being. Neil had never believed in God or gods, no one could be cruel enough to let him and Andrew struggle though their lives with no interference. They had had to suffer in silence and break out when they could, obtaining scars and painful memories in the process. No, Neil and Andrew were on their own. 

"No surgery."

The doctors and nurses paused for a second, confused. "Wait. Aren't you going to ask him? He has a right to choose what he wants to do to help 

Neil had to laugh. "Have any of you been paying attention to him while you've been working over there? Every time you touch him he flinches. He's terrified, and I can only say that because he can't hear me. I'm here with him, he knows you aren't going to hurt him, but he's still ready to defend himself. What makes you think he'd be willing to let you do what you wanted to him while he was unconscious?"

"Do what we wanted? We wouldn't be doing anything other than the surgery!"

Neil nodded. "I know that. He would know that. But he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it. He would never willingly let anyone do anything like that. And besides, I’m allowed to make decisions, check his proxy.” Neil waited patiently as the doctor flipped through the pages on his clipboard. “So no surgery. Understood?" Neil waited for a total of five seconds before he asked again. "Understood?"

The doctors nodded hastily and moved away from Andrew, leaving to get some hearing aids that might fit. Neil moved to Andrew's bed and pointed to his ears and mimed putting something in them. He held up his hands hesitantly and signed slowly. 

"You suffered some hearing loss. you'll need some hearing aids. I assumed you didn't want surgery?"

Andrew shuddered and shook his head with a sharp glare. Neil just nodded and held out one hand in a silent question that Andrew answered by grabbing and pulling Neil down onto the bed. Andrew huffed and rolled his eyes when Neil scooted towards the edge to keep a few inches between them, before grabbing his shirt and pulling Neil flush against his side. Neil let his face show his happiness as he looked down at Andrew's fingers on his chest. They stayed that way for a long time, neither moving, barely breathing. Neil was content to stay by Andrew's side until he was shoved away; Andrew would never admit it, but he needed the physical contact with someone he trusted to get through this hospital visit. 

"Okay, gentlemen, I have a few pairs of hearing aids that should be pretty close to Andrew's size but he'll have to try them on and see which ones are the best for him. Sound acceptable?"

Neil tried to sit up when the doctor came in, thinking that Andrew wouldn't appreciate the proximity in the presence of others, but he was held down by a palm to his chest. So Neil stayed and relayed the message to glowering man next to him. Andrew gave a sharp nod in response and Neil held out his hand to the doctor. Both men glared at the professional after he handed off the hearing aids until he left the room. Then Neil finally sat up and forced Andrew to as well, handing him the hearing aids pair by pair until they had found ones that would have to be good enough until the doctors could send a fitted pair to the Tower. 

"We can leave now but you can't walk. You're going to need a wheelchair because of your head injury. Now you have two options. Either I call in the doctors and nurses and they put you in the chair or I do it. Neither is great but you have to choose. Also, if you want to change into your clothes and out of that hospital gown then that's going to be a whole different problem." 

Andrew scowl harder than usual, something Neil hadn't know he could do. Then he stabbed a finger at Neil in angry submission. Neil nodded and went out of the room to grab a nurse and ask for a chair.When he came back Andrew hadn't moved and his scowl had only deepened. Neil knew this wasn't going to be an easy process. He waved his hand until Andrew looked at him. 

"Here are some of your clothes, say something if you need help." The ferocity with which Andrew snatched his clothes from Neil was no shock. Neil stepped back and turned around, facing the wall. When Andrew grunted, Neil turned around again to find Andrew in pants but still with his hospital gown over his torso. 

"I need to help you with this. I'm so sorry Andrew, but I wasn't even supposed to let you put your underwear on by yourself. I would let you do your shirt too but I don't want to risk you upsetting your head or hurting yourself further. Can I help you with your shirt? Yes or No?"

Andrew's reply was a soft and hesitant yes that made Neil's heart flutter in his chest and stutter to a stop. Andrew was trusting Neil to not only see him without some clothing in a hospital, but also to help Andrew when he was feeling weak. It was something the other Foxes would never understand and something that no one else in the world would have the chance to do. So Neil shoved down the happiness bubbling inside of him and walked slowly to Andrew, making all of his movements known to the boy on the bed so there would be time to grab a wrist and grind out a warning or a termination of the whole thing. He nodded and grabbed the article of clothing, eyeing it for a second and then flicked his eyes to Andrew before shaking his head. 

“If you loosen the tie of your hospital gown a bit then when you pull your shirt down you can push the gown off and not show too much, if any, skin. Does that sound okay to you?”

Andrew froze, glaring hard at the boy standing in front of him. No, man. There was no boy left in Neil Josten. No softness. Or so Andrew thought. Every time Andrew was confident that he knew Neil inside and out, Josten would do something like this and make Andrew interested again. He hated the runaway for it. For keeping Andrew invested. For making it almost easy to let down his walls. For knowing what to say and when to say it. For knowing when to just shut the fuck up and not to touch. Neil always knew when not to touch. 

Neil bunched the shirt in his hands, fingers wrapped around the collar, ready to fit it over Andrew’s head. He moved directly in front of Andrew and held up the shirt for a moment, waiting for the nod that came a few seconds later. Then he pushed the shirt over Andrew’s head gently, brushing his fingers through the blond hair there, but when he touched collarbones, Andrew froze. Andrew hated the way it made his heart freeze for a moment when Neil pulled away after a soft no. 

“Do you still want me to help you with arms? Or do you want to try by yourself?”

Andrew just shook his head, reaching up to tug the hem of his shirt down over his torso and fighting for the armholes. After quite a few minutes of his angry tugging and frustrated scowling he muttered out a “Yes” to Neil and waited for him to come close enough to help, stretching the arm holes wider and guiding Andrew’s wrists through the fabric. After Andrew was fully dressed, Neil pulled the hospital gown off of his arms and retreated for a few minutes, giving the older man time to recollect all of his thoughts together and get ready for the wheelchair. 

"I can only help you if you let me touch you. I know what just happened was a lot and I know you don't like it. Trust me, I don't like forcing your hand like this. But I'm going to need to touch your arm and back at least. Is that okay? Yes or no?"

Andrew just sighed and sat there, burning holes into the wheelchair in Neil's hands with his eyes. For a minute, Neil worried that Andrew was just going to sit there and wait out his concussion until he could get up on his own. Or refuse to be touched and hurt himself even worse. But then he just sighed again and held out his left arm to Neil. Neil set the chair down to the side of Andrew and looked at him. 

“Are you sure?” 

Andrew didn’t bother replying, he just scowled some more and shook his own arm a bit to get Neil’s attention. Neil hesitated but knew better than to ask Andrew again, so he just gently circled his fingers around Andrew’s bicep and wrapped an arm around Andrew’s waist. The going was slow, very slow, and Andrew was highly uncomfortable. He was in a hospital, a place where many horrible things had happened to him, he couldn’t hear properly, and he was being touched. Logically, he knew it was Neil and that nothing would happen to him. No one would hurt him. But that didn’t change the voice in the back of his head or the feeling deep in his chest. 

“No. Stop.”

Neil backed away immediately with hands up by his chest and in clear sight, off of Andrew’s body, watching Andrew wobble on the very edge of his bed for a second, . “Did I do something wrong?”

Andrew shook his head and waved a dismissive hand. “No, just let me wait it out. I don’t like being here.” The rage and annoyance that Andrew was feeling was apparent in his shoulders only to Neil and only for a few seconds before Andrew shoved it down and nodded. “You can come back over here.” 

Neil narrowed his eyes. He always hated the way Andrew never let himself feel. He understood it, but he didn’t like it. The hesitation made Andrew growl. Neil moved back over and carefully put his hands on Andrew, making sure that no matter what happened, they would not move from their spots. Ever so slowly, Neil started to apply pressure, helping Andrew move to the side of the bed and when they reached it, Andrew slid to his feet shakily. Neil’s hands moved from Andrew’s torso to his arm and shoulder to steady him. Both felt more comfortable with Neil touching the already approved spaces. A few wobbly steps and a vicious glare later, Andrew was seated in the wheelchair and Neil was pushing him out into the lobby to get him signed out. 

When Nicky caught sight, he couldn’t help but say something. “Is that Andrew you’re pushing? I would’ve thought he’d walk himself out of here!”

Luckily for Nicky, Andrew couldn’t hear. Unfortunately, Neil could. “Nicky, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll say nothing like that again. Now fortunately, Andrew can’t hear you so we’re all going to pretend that that didn’t just happen, yes?”

Nicky sighed, but nodded slowly as Neil continued to the desk so that Andrew could sign the necessary papers. When that was over they moved out to the Maserati that Nicky had driven over. 

“Your brother, cousin and Kevin are here. Do you want help into the car? Or do you want to try?” 

Andrew thought for a minute, staring at the passenger side of his car before shaking his head. “No. It should be easy enough that you’ve only got to touch my arm and I would rather not fall out here. You can help me.”

Andrew growled when he felt Neil’s trademark idiot stare and refused to make eye contact, staring stonily at the asphalt in front of his chair while Neil opened the door and wheeled him as close as possible. When the locks were set, Neil gently grabbed the upper part of Andrew’s arm and drew him to his feet, watching with a quiet intensity as Andrew managed to smoothly sink into his seat, tugging the door closed as soon as Neil’s fingers were out of danger. Nicky managed to keep his mouth shut as he, Aaron and Kevin filed into the car and Neil slipped into the driver’s seat. 

“What did you mean when you said Andrew couldn’t hear me?” Nicky lean between the front seats, making Andrew scowl at Neil.

“He wants to know what’s wrong. Can I tell them?” Neil waited until he got a nod of approval before sighing and answering the bouncy cousin in the back seat. “The hit coupled with the concussion meant that Andrew suffered partial hearing loss, he should be fine to hear with the hearing aids he got but try not to bug him about it okay? He’s not always going to hear you so don’t bug him or get upset if you have to repeat yourself. You’ll only make him angry.”

Nicky sat back, fingers at his lips as he bit his nails. “Is he really alright?”

Neil nodded firmly, eyes flicking to the mirror to meet Nicky’s. “He will be.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bitch doesn't know how to make other fonts on this site so until someone tells me how just assume that Every time Neil and Andrew are talking to each other, they're signing, okay? Sweet thanks

“Look at the way Nicky pouts when he misses it.”

Neil snorted, waving a hand at the blond at his side. Given that Andrew was injured and Neil was the only one who could make sure he didn't do anything stupid, they had both been given leave to skip practice if they at least showed up for the meeting before hand. Then Neil had dragged Andrew into the stands because if he wasn't playing he had to at least watch. Andrew had been shit talking the Foxes for the entirety of the practice and it had only succeeded in making Neil laugh. Though, he figured that was the reason Andrew hadn’t stopped. 

"But look at Kevin." Neil signs back, unwilling to speak out loud in fear of someone hearing them. Rationally he knew that none of the Foxes could hear through the thick plexiglass and that Wymack was in his office, but still. "He pouts so much harder when Nicky misses. A literal pout, bottom lip out and everything." 

Neil thought he might die when Andrew's lips quirked at the corner in a barely there smile that was so fleeting anyone else would have missed it. But Neil had always watched Andrew closely. When Wymack forbade Andrew from practicing, Neil had expected it to be done and over. He hadn't expected Andrew's shoulders to tense in anger and for him to stomp his way out of Wymack's office, so Neil was glad to put this new expression on Andrew's face. One where the skin around his eyes was smooth, his brows flat and still. One where his mouth was a soft line, ready to move but unwilling to frown. 

"Staring."

Neil chuckled. "You're smiling. Of course I'm staring."

This statement tugged at the corners of Andrew's mouth, but paired with the relaxed look in his eyes, Neil knew it wasn't a true frown. 

"You're not angry at anything. You're face isn't tensed and there's no underlying rage visible. You look relaxed and that's about as close to a smile as you get. Except for your smirk but that's usually sarcastic. I like it. You don't get to look relaxed a lot."

"Junkie."

The word Andrew signed was addict and maybe it was true. Maybe Neil was an addict. Neil had noticed that more recently Andrew had been calling him that less in context with Exy and more when Neil was being soft towards the smaller man. And maybe that was the correct context. If Neil was going to be addicted to anything, it was going to be Andrew Joseph Minyard. The man who told him to stay. The man who held onto Neil when they were breaking to pieces. The man who cared enough to ask. 

"Don't fucking look at me like that. I've told you before that I'm not your answer. Don't look at me like I hung the fucking moon." 

"Didn't you?" 

Andrew shoved Neil away and leaned back in his seat. He had insisted that if he was going to have to sit through practice it wasn't going to be in his wheelchair, so Neil had helped him up a couple of rows -pointedly putting Andrew on the inside as if he were the runner- and would soon help him down. Andrew scowled at the thought. He hated that he needed help. He hated that Neil was so willing to do it and knew better than to comment. He hated that he didn't hate it when Neil helped him. 

Neil lifted his hands, maybe to continue, maybe to complain, but the Foxes took that moment to end practice and when they exited the court, Matt and Dan made their way up the steps to stand at Neil's side. 

"Hey!" Matt breathed, chest heaving but smile lodged firmly between his cheeks. "Are you guys going to come to the girls room for lunch?" 

Neil turned to Andrew and waited patiently for a response. The blond stared back for a short while, maintaining eye contact and lifting a brow before he broke the contest with a sigh. 

"Do what you want. I don't fucking care." 

"We both know that's a lie and I'm not going to leave you. If you don't want to go we won't go. Answer the question."

"Fucking fine."

"We'll meet you guys there later. Now go shower Matt, I could smell you through the plexiglass. Dan how can you keep him around?"

Their captain laughed as Matt pouted, looking hurt at the words. "Oh Neil, you know he looks better when he's showered. Smells better too. Plus he buys me coffee and chocolate."

When they made off to the locker rooms, Neil had to smile when Dan's laughter echoed throughout the building. When they were gone, Neil turned to Andrew, a small frown on his face. 

"If you don't want to go, we won't go. I don't care. But don't lie about how you feel just so I can hangout with them. I can do that anytime. There will be other movie nights and more alcohol. I'd rather be with you, making sure you're alright, which I know you hate but I don't care. You're injured. You scared me half to death. I'm still worrying. And for the next two weeks, I'm not leaving your side unless you need me to. Got it? Now, are we going to the movie night or not?" 

Andrew scowled. Fuck Neil Josten and his caring. Fuck his knowing what Andrew needs to hear and see. Fuck him for being the cause of this warmth in Andrew's chest. 

"I hate you." Neil just nodded. This wasn't news. "We're going. I didn't have to deal with them during practice so I might even be civil."

This brought back Neil's small smile. "No need to terrify them." 

That earned him a punch on the arm to which he responded by laughing. Andrew tried his hardest to squash down the blooming happiness in his chest but only managed to keep it off of his face and ignore it. Neil was so bad for him in the best way and that was definitely going to fuck Andrew over. With a growl, Andrew stood, almost managing to keep the shake out of his legs, and glared a Neil for a long minute. Then he offered a hand to the ice-eyed runaway as if he were the injured one.


	3. Chapter 3

"Neil! We didn't think you'd come! It looked like Andrew didn't want to." 

Neil froze when Matt gripped his shoulders to pull him into a bone crushing hug. For a second the fingers digging into his flesh weren't his friend's, but his father's and Lola's and Riko's. But then Matt's cologne hit him in a wave and he was snapped back to himself. He quickly lifted his arms to hug Matt back but he could feel Andrew's gaze on them, heavy and angry. A sudden tug had the backliner flying away from Neil with a yelp, and into the back of the couch. Neil just huffed out a sigh and turned to Andrew with an eyebrow raised. 

"Really? Was that necessary? I was fine, it was only a flash and it was gone in a second. We just got here, try not to hurt anyone else." 

Andrew just shrugged and eyed Matt for a minute before sitting on the couch, throwing a leg on it to save a seat for Neil. He had forgone his wheelchair much to Neil's dismay. He understood though, it was a weakness and weakness was not tolerated. 

"Is it because you tensed when I hugged you?" Matt asked, continuing when Neil nodded. "I didn't mean to jump you like that but at least I know you're safe. He's not going to let anyone touch you. That's good." 

Neil nodded again with a smile as he held out a hand and help the backliner up. Finally, someone understood. He could see Allison shaking her head in the corner and knew it would take some time for the others to catch up. He accepted two glasses of whiskey from Nicky and the bottle of Jack Daniels before heading to the couch. Andrew moved his foot when Neil came around and almost happily grabbed his alcohol. Neil rolled his eyes and sat gently, leaving an inch of space between their thighs. Andrew rolled his eyes in return and pressed their legs together, making Neil smile wider. 

"So," Allison leaned forward, delicate elbows on a perfect knee, high heels glinting in the sluggish light that crawled through the window, blonde hair shining golden. "What does this mean for him? What's going to change?"

Neil laughed when Dan smacked the blonde's arm. "Probably nothing. He'll still ignore all of you but now it won't always be by choice." He took a sip of his whiskey and set the glass on the coffee table, shooting a glance towards Andrrew. 

"I still hate every one of you. Not being able to hear you half of the time will be a blessing." 

Neil smiled softly. He knew that he and Renee were the only ones who would be able to see the underlying pain hiding behind hazel and flecks of green and gold. That they would be the only ones to hear the almost fear like tremble in his voice. The only ones who would know just how it affected Andrew to have this weakness. How much he would blame himself if something happened to anyone. 

Neil held his hand out, palm up, above Andrew's thigh and waited. After a small stretch of stony silence, Andrew laced their fingers together, growling as if it were the biggest burden he had ever been asked to do. Neil could see the surprise written on some of the Foxes faces. Nicky looked like someone had told him the sky was green, Dan was staring as if Neil had grown a second head. Matt was the only one who wasn't showing surprise or anger. He had understanding and hard-won triumph sprawled across his features as he took in Neil's gentle smile and Andrew's not-actually-angry scowl. 

"So what movie are we going to watch?" Neil asked, his voice sliding through the silence easily and startling the Foxes into normalcy. 

"Well that's easy!" Nicky chimed in and started gesturing madly at the pile, pointing to the ones he wanted and pouting when Allison shot him down. Dan started yelling for her movies and pulled Matt into the conversation. Aaron voiced his opinion when Nicky wanted to watch something “gay”. Kevin had long since disappeared to the kitchen to search for alcohol. Neil was happy to sit out and let someone else decide, he would spend the majority of the movie staring at Andrew anyway. He was about to lay his head back and close his eyes when fingers tightened around his own. Neil looked down to see Andrew's white-knuckled grip and then flicked his eyes to the man's face.   
Andrew was sitting ramrod straight, eyes fixed dead ahead and lips pulled down into a frown. He was concentrating, but far too hard. Neil could see that the amount of voices he was straining to hear was getting the best of him, so Neil reached up with his other hand and flipped the small switch on the hearing aid to turn it off. Andrew whipped around, burning holes into the side of Neil’s head. Neil just looked back and raised an eyebrow before carefully tugging his hand out of Andrew's. 

"Quiet.” Was the only thing Neil signed for a while, but when Andrew continued to stare at him, he elaborated.”You need to relax. You're trying too hard and it's threatening to overwhelm you. This is too new for you to fully understand yet. Take your time. And don't try to get mad at me for saying this to you because if we were switched you'd be telling me the same thing but with harsher words. Trust me to let you know when you need to be involved okay?"

Andrew scowled, narrowing his eyes at the man next to him on the couch. "Last time I told you I trusted you with something, you went off to Evermore and came back almost broken." 

"But this time I'm not going anywhere and you're not trusting me with anyone." Neil reached forward and took Andrew's hand again, giving it a pointed glance. "You've got me here." 

Andrew scowled but nodded, tugging his hearing aids out of his ears and shoving them into Neil's large sweatshirt pocket. The movement reminded Neil of how Andrew would shove the cracker packets into the waitress' apron at Sweeties. How so much had changed in less than a year was still slightly baffling to Neil, but he was glad for the things he went through and he'd do it all again if it meant he got to be sitting here on this couch, with Andrew Minyard holding his hand, surrounded by his Foxes.

"You're thinking something stupid. Knock it off." 

They had to stop holding hands to sign correctly, but with their thighs pressed together and the slow warmth that came with the proximity, neither minded too much. 

"I'm always thinking something stupid remember? Which thought in particular are you referring too?" 

"Neil!" Neil looked over to see Nicky looking at him expectantly. "Are you going to pick a movie? We're all picking one to watch and we're going to see how many we can get through before everyone passes out." 

Neil signed everything Nicky said to Andrew so that he could be included, which only made Andrew's glower grow darker. Then he signed what he was saying as he replied. 

"No. I have no preference and neither does Andrew. Pick for us?" 

"We need to come up with names for them. I can't keep finger-spelling their names every time we talk about them." 

Andrew raised an eyebrow and Neil internally cheered that he had managed to shift the expression. "We haven't even talked about them yet. What do we need to name them for.” Neil just stared until Andrew sighed. “Fine. Who first.” Anything to see that smile light up Neil’s face. 

Andrew’s easy acceptance of the idea certainly did bring that smile back and it irked Andrew at how quickly it brought back the curious warmth in his chest. So he reached out and shoved Neil’s face away from him with a huff and leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms and glaring at the wall. Out of spite, he ignored Neil’s hand hovering at the edge of his field of vision before puffing out a soft sigh and turning his glare back to the ice blue eyes that had a hold on him. 

“Who’s first?”

That damned smile. Neil beamed as he pretended to think for a minute before pointing at Dan. “She’s the Captain so we should start with her.” 

“What about Captain? The sign?”

Neil shook his head. “No, because the sign for Captain done with Dan’s initial is the same as the sign for Remind Me.”

Andrew pushed aside his apathy and stared at Dan as she smiled up at Matt innocently. Andrew could see the slow way her hands drew up his sides and shifted towards his chest, but Matt was too busy talking about the statistics of a car to really take notice. Oh but he realized exactly what was happening one second too late. Andrew couldn’t stop the wicked smile that split his face when he watched Matt’s eyes grow in horror as his body was shoved back and he was pushed unceremoniously off of the couch and dumped to the floor. Andrew pressed his fists together, on in top of the other, and pushed diagonally down.

 

“Fierce.”

Andrew could see Neil light up beside him and the faint movement of his signed ‘yes’ in his periphery. Then Neil pointed to Allison next and held up both hands. “Strong. Because of what she went through with Seth and how she didn’t let it stop her.” 

Andrew nodded. He could get behind that. "I think that Renee should be Sharp.” He slid his left index finger down his right one in a slight slicing motion. “Because of her past and how she is still completely capable of killing a man. And also because of how she's the perfect threat. The sight of a knife is usually enough to stop someone from doing something stupid and with your precious Foxes, Renee is perfect at defusing tension and stopping them from killing each other. Which is a shame. That would be interesting." 

Neil ignore the looks from the other Foxes as he laughed, shoving Andrew’s hands away. “Then you’d be stuck with me and no one to punch. How would you live?” 

Andrew snorted. “I could just punch you. Now shut up and think of one for my stupid brother.”

“When are you going to stop acting like you hate him?”

“When he stops acting like a petulant child and a dickface.”

“So never?”

“Pretty much. Now pick a name for him idiot.”

Neil thought for a moment, studying the twin and thinking about the limited interactions they had shared over the years. They’ve never been fond of one another. Neil had given up hope that Aaron would stop sneering at him one day. He had thought that maybe as they aged and didn’t actively try to murder one another, Aaron would at least be more indifferent and less of a dick. No luck. As if sensing his thoughts, Aaron looked over and made eye contact with Neil and flipped him the bird. Neil turned back to Andrew with a sigh And tapped the side of his fist to his temple, the back of his hand facing out. 

“Asshole.” 

Andrew didn’t argue. 

“Matt Next?” Neil signed. “Honestly, I don’t really know what to do for Matt. I feel like everything is just slightly off or too weird.” 

“Care.” Andrew signed slowly, a small scowl settling across his brow. His hands pushed out from his body in small vertical circles.

Neil jerked up his eyebrows, turning to fix his eyes on Andrew’s profile. Andrew had never disguised the fact that he wasn’t the hugest fan of Neil and Matt’s friendship and Neil had expected Andrew to suggest something awful for Matt. He opened his mouth slightly, maybe to question, maybe to agree, but Andrew used two fingers to shove his jaw shut. The audible click drew the attention of the other Foxes in time to see Neil give a small smile. Nicky opened his mouth next but Andrew’s glare was enough to shut him up. 

“Stop fucking staring at me and pick a name for Kevin or I swear to god I will run you over with the Maserati.” 

Neil laughed again, shaking his head. “Always so aggressive.”

“Fuck off Josten.” 

Neil had to laugh yet again. He hadn't realized how much more Andrew seemed to talk when he was quiet. Before his words were vague meanings in hooded eyes that only Neil understood, but now that he used sign language Andrew could expand on those thoughts. Neil was enjoying it, and even if he would never admit it, Andrew enjoyed it too. 

“Alright fine. Is there a sign for Alcoholic?”

Andrew shook his head. “It would be Drunk with an ‘er’ at the end. Which is just weird with a K. Try again.” 

“Well other than his obsessive drinking problem the only other thing that really pertains to Kevin on a personal level is Exy. Which there isn't a sign for.” 

Andrew scoffed, turning to glare at the queen before putting his finger by his lip and pulling as if hooked, signing, “Junkie.” 

Neil nodded quickly. “Yes. That's it. With a K. Perfect. Because he's addicted to Exy and alcohol.” 

“You two stop pointing at everyone and watch the damn movie!”

Neil almost flinched at the volume of Nicky’s voice, so involved in his and Andrew’s silent conversation, but just managed to still his body, thigh tensing against Andrew’s for a second before relaxing again. Andrew glared at his cousin while Neil almost seemed to pout. He liked talking with Andrew and he liked sign language even better than Russian because Andrew had to pay attention to him in order to understand what he was saying. It made for a more intimate form of communication. 

“Don’t look at me like that Andrew. This is a movie night which means we're going to watch movies! Not move our hands at impossible speeds and point at all of our friends, no doubt making fun!” 

Andrew continued to glare while Neil strove to hold back a laugh. Nicky was full out pouting, aware of the fact that Andrew was across the room sitting comfortably at Neil’s side, and therefore thought he was safe. Unfortunately for the backliner, Andrew had perfect aim. Which is how he found himself with a hearing aid hitting his forehead. This time Neil had to laugh and the other Foxes joined in. Nicky didn't stop pouting by both Neil and Andrew could see the mirth in his eyes. And Neil could see contentment lurking in Andrew's eyes. Behind the annoyance and irritation he didn't hate Nicky too much. 

“What movie are we starting with?” 

Allison flipped her hair over her shoulder with a sneer. “Mine of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I know I forgot Nicky but I promise we'll be back for him

**Author's Note:**

> A huuuuge thank you to synonymousoxymoron for being wonderful and creating the headcanon for this and helping me edit and just being generally amazing. Go follow him on tumblr @whatajem for all things aftg and trc. Also find him on here for amazing Kandriel and Kerejean smut, and also trc smut


End file.
